The Week We Should Have Been Camping
by Diversity Calls
Summary: Takes place a week or so after Aang defeats Lord Ozai. Team Avatar plans a camping trip that gets messy.
1. Prologue

** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender  
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It all began on an evening, not much more then a week after the avatar had restored balance to the world and defeated the fire nation's phoenix king, Lord Ozai. That particular evening, Katara had decided to try her hand at cooking dinner. So she had set to work, preparing to cook the only thing she knew how to cook: stewed sea prunes. She'd been only a young child when her mother had decided to take her sea prune gathering, but Katara had been elated to go. Her mother had even let her stew the sea prunes that night. Katara hadn't forgotten a thing and she stewed the sea prunes just right. The way her mother would have.

"Dinner's ready!" Katara announced as she set the wooden bowls, bubbling over with sea prune soup, down on the table.

"Ah, finally! I'm famished." Iroh said, taking his place with the others at the table in the fire nation's grand hall, where dinner had been served as of late. "What type of soup is this?" He inquired in his old gravely voice, as he licked his lips hungrily.

Katara smiled. "It's called sea prune soup."

"Yeah," Sokka added, gobbling the soup ravenously, "and it's really good!"

"Oh, I agree." Iroh replied enthusiastically, eating just as fervently as Sokka. "This is wonderful; almost as tasty as jasmine tea!"

Momo sniffed at Aang's bowl cautiously and then shook his head, purring in a disgusted tone.

"Oh, did you want some Momo?" Sokka asked, pushing his bowl towards Momo.

Momo shrieked and then made a hasty retreat under the table.

"Ok but you're really missing out."

Zuku stared at his own bowl of soup, his facing turning a light shade of green.

"So…stewed sea prunes, huh?" said Zuku.

Sitting across from Zuku, Aang shifted in his wooden seat nervously.

"Yeah…stewed sea prunes…my..uh…favorite soup." Aang said awkwardly.

"It really looks good Katara." Said Zuku, wincing as he placed a spoonful in his mouth.

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? You two look like your going to be sick."

"Sick?" Aang asked as he crammed his mouth with sea prunes. "Why would we be getting sick?"

"It's not like you're uh, wonderful soup is nauseating, revolting, or sickening in any way. It's great. Really." Zuku said unconvincingly, following Aang's cue and filling his mouth with sea prunes.

"You know, you guys could have just told me you didn't like it." Katara said angrily, throwing her hands in the air. "I wouldn't hold a grudge just because you don't like my soup."

Zuku closely studied the floor while Aang concentrated on whistling a tune.

"You didn't think that did you?" Katara demanded.

Toph smiled. "Honestly? Yeah, I think you would."

"Not asking you, Toph." Katara said, glaring at her. "Now are you going to-"

"Hey guys, I just thought of a funny joke." Sokka said ecstatically, interrupting his sister and completely oblivious to what was going on.

Aang leaned over to Zuku, covering his mouth with one hand. "Sokka. He's a real lifesaver."

Toph sighed and rolled her eyes. "Here we go again."

"OK, ok. What do you do to sea prunes?"

Iroh rubbed his chin. "Eat them?"

"Nope."

"Stew them?"

"No."

"Cook them?"

"No."

Iroh squinted his eyes and tugged his beard.

"I give up. What do you do to sea prunes?"

"You just open your eyes! Get it? 'see' prunes?" Sokka laughed madly.

Toph groaned and slapped her forehead with her open palm. Beside her, Iroh frowned and repeated the joke silently to himself. A second later his eyes lit up vibrantly.

"Ah, yes I get it! What do you do to 'see' prunes? You just open your eyes!" he bent over laughing hysterically.

Katara tapped her foot impatiently. "Are you two going to answer my question?"

"No…um why would we think you'd hold a grudge over something little like that?" Zuku said, with a nervous smile pasted on his face.

"Yeah, the thought never crossed our minds." Aang lied. "But uh…Hey, do you remember that time we ate this soup at that evil waterbender's inn?" He asked, hoping to change the subject before Katara asked any more questions.

"Yes, It was just the day after that night we were camping in the woods," Katara said. "Why?"

"Oh, uh, just wondering." Aang said as he scratched his head.

"Yeah, that was the night Katara was telling us that scary story about that southern water tribe girl." Toph added.

"Trading scary stories over the roaring camp fire, gathering nuts and hunting wild animals for dinner, stalking the cabbage man, ah, that was the life." Sokka said dreamily.

"The cabbage man?" Katara asked, an eyebrow notched.

"Hey, we should do it again!" Sokka said, suddenly sitting up.

"Do what again? Stalk the cabbage man?" Toph asked incredulously.

"No; Go camping! I mean, now that the world's saved and all."

"Do you guys think we should really go camping?" Aang asked excitedly as he turned to the others.

"Well, Sokka's right, we did just save the world from the fire nation. I think we deserve a break. It could be fun." Katara said cheerfully.

"I'm game." said Toph.

Aang smiled. "Great, then it's settled. We'll go-"

"Hold on! You can't just leave." Said Zuku.

"Why not?" Aang asked.

"The world is still in shambles because of the great damage the fire nation caused. We have to start to rebuild, reconstruct, and repair. We don't have time for games."

"C'mon Zuku, lighten up." Sokka said. "Team avatar needs a break. Besides, we'll only be gone for a couple days."

Zuku folded his arms and stared at everyone. The whole group faced him, staring at him with big pleading eyes. He sighed. "Fine! But only a couple days, you're still needed here."

"Yes!" Aang shouted. Momo scampered up the table at Aang's excited tone, tilting his head he looked at Aang inquisitively.

"Did you hear that Momo? We're going camping!"


	2. Setting Up Camp

**Please read and review, it's appreciated! I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

Azula sat cross legged in her poorly lighted cell, her mind swirling with dark thoughts. A rat scurried across the floor but she paid it no attention. Her mind was locked on the Avatar. He'd done well. Very well. He'd manage to succeed in defeating her father. And Zuku? He'd also done well. But they'd both made a mistake. They had let her live. And that mistake would be their ultimate downfall; it would cost them both dearly. They were fools to think that they'd won. No, the game was far from over. She would find a way. It might take time, but in prison, time was something she had plenty of.

The sound of a tray of food skidding on the stone floor burst Azula from her grabbed the tray and ate hungrily. It was prisoner food—not worthy of the fire lord. But she had to conserve her strength. A white sheet which was attached to the tray caught her eye. "To: Firelord Azula, There are still some which are loyal to your cause. Talk to the guard on the next shift." Azula read. A smile spread across her lips. The timetable was being sped up.

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Appa slowly glided down to earth. Evening was approaching and the light of the sun was growing dimmer and dimmer. But after many an hour, the group had finally discovered their camping spot, or rather Katara had.

"This place is perfect! Look at those beautiful trees." Katara said happily, when they touched ground. She'd chosen to camp at a beautiful clearing, surrounded by a circle of majestic trees and near a nice wide lake.

"Yup those trees sure are beautiful, sugar queen." Said Toph, jumping off Appa.

"You think so? I mean their the-" Katara paused, suddenly remembering that Toph was blind. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Toph asked absentmindedly.

"You know, try to make complete fools of us?" said Sokka, who'd also fallen prey to Toph's tricks and schemes more times then he could count.

"Because you guys make it so easy." Toph teased, as she stepped forward and moved her hands into an earth bending stance. A makeshift tent of earth rose from the ground.

Aang dropped his tent, which he'd been in the process of setting up. "Hey good idea Toph!" Aang said, mimicking Toph's movement and creating a tent of his own.

Sokka frowned. "No fair!" he complained, as he attempted to put his own tent up.

"Life isn't always fair, Sokka." Toph said, chuckling.

"What do you know about fair? You all have it so easy with your bending magic!" whined Sokka.

"What do I know about fair?" Toph repeated, with a fire in her eyes. "I know that it wasn't fair that I was born blind. I know that isn't fair that my parents don't see they can't treat me like a little kid anymore." She vented angrily, as she pelted Sokka with a load of small rocks.

"Ok, Ok, I'm sorry I asked!" cried Sokka remorsefully, ducking behind Aang's earth tent.

Katara rolled her eyes. "Hey Aang?"

"Yeah Katara?" Aang responded, walking away from his tent where he had been unpacking his various belongings.

"It's getting late…Why don't you start a fire?" Katara suggested.

"Good idea!" Aang gathered a few dry twigs and mounted a circle of rocks around them to control the fire and keep it from going to far out. Then he used a burst of fire to set the twigs alight. The twigs caught on fire instantly and began to glow brightly, but the fire was consuming the twigs too quickly.

"Good work, Aang! But I don't think that fire's going to last long. Were going to need more then just a few twigs to keep it going." Katara said."Sokka go cut some wood with that sword of yours."

"Me?" Sokka asked, pointing to himself.

"Is there someone else named Sokka here?" Katara asked sarcastically.

"But-but…I do all the work!"

"Unless you want someone else to handle your sword?" Katara threatened.

"I've always wanted to cut wood." Toph volunteered eagerly.

Sokka's eyes widened as he envisioned Toph swinging his sword wildly around and then losing it somewhere deep within the woods and he stepped back, defeated. "Fine!" He mumbled as he walked away. Katara folded her arms and watched smugly as he turned away and faded into the distance. She headed toward the small dying campfire and joined Aang and Toph.

"Now that Sokka's gone, it's just us girls and you." Toph said, smilingly craftily.

Aang smiled back nervously. "Uh, yeah. How about that?"

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Finally! The next guards shift had begun. Azula rubbed her hands together eagerly as the new guard assumed his position by her cell door.

"Are you loyal to the true heir of the throne?" she asked shrilly.

"Yes, M'lord." The guard said as he bowed.

"Get me all the information you have on Zuku and the Avatar and his friends." Azula commanded. "Including their current whereabouts." She paused, her mind racing with ideas.

"And contact the Dia Li. I'll have need of them if my plan is to work." Azula smiled. Everything would soon fall in place. The avatar would be destroyed and she would reclaim her throne. And the world would be ripe for conquest.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this, but if I get enough reviews I'll post up the third chapter. It's already pretty much done, I just need to make a few edits here and there.  
**


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